The Unexpected
by Vampire Tails
Summary: Larry wishes on a star for some respect. What happens is completely unexpected..
1. Prologue

**A/N:** So.. this has been something I'd kept and only had it uploaded on Google Plus. I decided today that I'm going to move it here. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

 **The Unexpected**  
 **Prologue**

After yet another grueling, harsh day at his many workplaces, a familiar, slender rockman was pacing the grand, luxuriant living room of his soon-to-be-wife's mansion, grumbling and frowning.

Were his girlfriend awake to see this, she'd know exactly who to blame. What to blame. The Wattersons. But tonight he just didn't want to talk about it. It was always the same spiel every day. And he couldn't stand it.

He glared at a little picture, the contents of which he didn't care to register now. All he wanted in this godforsaken town was respect. Not many treated him with the kindness and amity he so graciously gave away.

And then his glare softened, and he reached to pick up the photo. Thumbing it gently, he remembered.

Karen. This was their first time meeting and he cherished it. Why?

Well, she was among the few to respect him. The _first_ few. Of course he'd come to love her with all his heart. He smiled, and then he frowned.

But it wasn't enough. Patrons. Bosses. Partners. Anyone else he'd ever met barely had given him a second glance. Others, too, neglected him. And then there were the Wattersons, whose sole purpose seemed to be to make his life a living hell…

Larry gasped as he almost crumpled up the picture, and set it back down. He'd have to buy a frame for that. He then sighed, and continued to pace, this time making his way to the small balcony just on this floor. Opening the doors and stepping out, he was only slightly refreshed by the cool, fresh air. And then he stared up at the dark blue sky, stars lighting it up brighter than any streetlamp.

He found it beautiful. _Breathtaking_. It almost took his mind off his troubles, but then he remembered yet another foible.

He remembered _them_ promising they'd treat him better.

He remembered they said _they'd_ give him more respect.

He remembered even brightening up at _their_ change of heart, hoping that maybe, just maybe, change was coming. And thus he forgave them.

Cue the next day, and it was back to the same old routine. The two kids were trouble enough, but their _parents_? he shuddered, remembering all the idiocy, all the rage, the plotting, the thoughtlessness, _everything_.

He growled softly, and then found he was clutching the banister a bit too tightly and ceased his grip. Larry bit his lip, eyes wide, and then he shook his head, sighing. He'd never been this angry before _they_ came. He swore it was a part of him now, and he didn't like it.

 _There had to be a way to gain respect around here…_ he mused, looking up at the sky again. But this time, he caught a shooting star, and, despite his disbelief in superstition, found himself closing his eyes and reciting the poem to activate the magic quietly.

And then he silently wished on that star, and once he was done, opened his eyes. He felt no change so far, as he expected, but perhaps it was too soon.

So he sighed and exited the balcony, closing the doors back and crossing the floor back to the living room. He sat on the sprawling couch, grabbed the remote, and turned on the television, if only to pass the time.

But something strange happened. He could've sworn he had it on that weather channel last time. Now it was on something different. Featuring strange people who called themselves Crystal Gems, with one seemingly human boy among them. Intrigued, however, he didn't turn, and leaned in, hand on his chin.

The episode was a little strange to him, but it continued to pique his interest. It soared even more when he heard one of the other characters speak, the character who was one of two working at this place called The Big Donut.

 _He.. he sounds.. he sounds like me!_ Larry stared slack-jawed. But even stranger, this character was named Lars. Lars.. Larry.. the rockman blinked. The similarities seemed endless. But the episode didn't focus on Lars for long, for it cut away to something else. Another commercial.

Larry frowned softly as he realized what that was. A promo. He managed to catch a promo. And he was so interested and looking forward to seeing the actual episode. He grunted, scratching the back of his head lightly as he turned off the television and suddenly yawned.

He didn't question that. He'd had to work overtime at least three times today, so he figured he'd be more than a little tired. Larry began to think, lying down carefully. Who was that Lars character? what was that show? did the wish work..?

He blinked, and closed his eyes, trying to figure this all out. Trying to decipher if the wish did indeed work. Unfortunately, his logical mind had no room for supernatural feeling, so he ended up feeling next to nothing. Larry Needlemeyer frowned, and shook his head, "Well, guess it.." yawning again, "didn't work.. I'm just gonna.. gonna sleep and then start this whole thing over tomorrow…"

And with another yawn and some repositioning, he drifted off on a raft of dejection, clearly not looking forward to the next day. Little did he know, he was going to experience.. the unexpected...

* * *

 **A/N:** So.. this is my very first TAWOG story, but it's also, ya know, a crossover. Hehe. I honestly love how this turned out. I'm basing this after that one episode, where at the end they apologized and he forgives them. So.. yeah. See ya next week if ya don't have any thoughts you'd like to share nonanonymously!

 _In Elmore, nothing really happens how you expect them..._


	2. A Thing Entirely New

**A/N:** Chapter One of _The Unexpected_ coming up! hope ya enjoy!

* * *

 **The Unexpected  
** **Chapter One: A Thing Entirely New**

It was a beautiful day in Beach City. The birds were chirping and the water was calmly lapping at the beach and anything else it could touch. It and the heat meant only one thing:

Summer was here and ready to play!

Very many students and staff, and maybe even some parents, had been thrilled about this, as they were able to focus more on what they actually wanted to do. Like, spend time with family and/or friends. Or play video games. Or read.

Or, simply, sleep in, like a certain redhead. He was curled up in his bed, actually wearing an undershirt and boxers this time around. Perhaps he was afraid Steven might accidentally possess him again?

Whatever the case, he was clothed, and sleeping comfortably.

But soon he woke up, but not to an alarm clock. His eyes fluttered open, and he yawned, eventually sitting up and stretching. He mumbled, rubbing his eyes, "That was a pretty good sleep…" and then he, absolutely refreshed, smiled, "Time to get ready for work!"

He got out of bed, and just now noticed something was wrong. Didn't he fall asleep on the couch?

The young man now looked confused, and glanced around. The whole entire area was wrong. He didn't recognize this at all. This wasn't his room.

And then he finally noticed the giant mirror taking up almost the entire wall, and noticed himself. He let out a strangled yelp and stood slack-jawed with a hand covering his mouth, staring at his reflection. And that wasn't his body.

He slid his hand to his chest, nearly hyperventilating, but managing to regain control enough to ask himself, "Okay, Larry, pull yourself together.. how did I wind up.. wherever this is..?"

Larry took another glance around, before he jumped, experiencing a delayed reaction as it finally registered. That wasn't really his voice either, despite the similarity. But it sounded very familiar. All the pieces were surely coming together…

He approached the mirror, tilting his head, and his newfound hair followed the motion, covering one of his eyes. With one swift motion he blew it out of the way, and that's when he finally realized.

 _That show_… his eyes were wide, betraying a whole cavalcade of emotions. _The star…_

"It must have worked!" he snapped his fingers, grinning now. The artstyle for his teeth looked a bit weird. Then again, he came from a _world_ of weirdness. Larry then frowned, rubbing at his chin, "But.. not how I expected it." And then he began pacing again, also subconsciously picking up the trash that littered the room, "I just wanted more respect. More acknowledgement. Not become an entirely different character!"

He sighed, dumping the pickings into a nearby trashcan, and snarked, "A character who leaves his room a pigsty…"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, but it seemed very timid, and Larry turned to face it, eyebrow raised. He usually didn't get visitors. Scratch that, he _never_ got visitors. Besides his girlfriend back in the day before they moved in together. But that was beside the point.

"Hello, Laramie, are you awake?" the voice was a female, but shaky too. It seemed she'd had to fight through her mind even to knock. But his own mind was on yet another thing.

... _Laramie…?_

He soon put two and two together, and realized she was talking to him. And so he answered, quickly, "Uh, yeah!"

He didn't know her, or who she was to this young man, so he was understandably cautious.

"Oh, good," she seemed to sigh of relief. She didn't seem to notice anything wrong. The woman then continued, warily, "Well, your late breakfast is ready. You slept in for quite a while."

This sent chills through him, and he bit his lip, gulping too. He then asked, clutching at his chest, "H.. how late?"

"Till about one in the afternoon, Laramie.. I mean.. Lars," she was quick to correct herself, but he didn't catch that.

Larry gasped. He was late for work. _Big time_. And then he shouted it at the top of his lungs, in despair. What would his boss do? he knew that teddy bear didn't play and surely would rip into him.

"Oh, calm down!" the gentle voice exclaimed, but it now held an element of shock, even as it stopped his outburst cold. Never before had Lars been so concerned about work. "It's a holiday. Businesses aren't particularly open today." Pause, as if remembering something. "But they do open later. At around two."

Larry, now huddled on the floor, wasn't sure whether to rejoice or sulk. He knew his world didn't really work like that. But he wasn't in his world anymore. And it wasn't like he had any ruby slippers to return him either. He nodded then, "Oh, well, thanks, uhm…"

"Yes, dear?"

"Your, uh, name…" Larry sheepishly replied. But tacked on after several seconds of sensing alarm, "I kinda forgot it.."

"Laramie.. I'm surprised.. you knew quite well yesterday.." disappointment was written in her tone. Was she afraid of something? "It's Martha. And your father's name is Dante. But you call us mom and dad."

The young man stared at the door in confusion for a while, picking himself up off the floor, before it finally clicked, "Oh! that's right! well, good afternoon, mom."

He said it with a smile she couldn't see, but it felt extremely weird calling two strangers his mom and dad. But as long as he was in this world, he might as well try getting used to it all.

There was palpable silence on the other end, as if Martha was still registering that last sentence. Larry began to feel worried, and his brow furrowed, "Uhm..?"

"Well, good afternoon to you too…" she finally managed, but something wasn't quite right. It was almost as if she wasn't expecting it. Which somewhat deflated the young man's mood. And then he heard distancing footsteps, as she slunk off, heading back downstairs.

He blinked, scratching his head, "Well, that was weird…"

But he figured today was only going to get weirder from then on.

Larry then searched around for some clothes, heading straight for the closet. But he missed the pile of clothes on the floor, nearly tangling his leg on them and tripping. He yelped quietly, regaining his balance, and looked down at the offender. Disturbed was nothing compared to the expression now crossing his face.

"The floor isn't a storage bin!" he proclaimed, almost as though scolding Lars himself. But he wasn't sure. He wasn't sure what happened to the original owner of this body. Was he unconscious, acting now as a secondary dormant personality within his mind?

Or was he elsewhere?

He didn't know, which perturbed him more than the pile of clothes did. And speaking of the clothes, to make matters worse, he wasn't sure if they were dirty or clean. At least, at the surface. He'd have to find out the harsh way, and his stomach flipped and did gymnastics.

So he knelt and went through them, sniffing them all. He managed to find the work clothes too, and they were luckily one of the clean ones. He gagged, sure he was going to puke, but the worst was finally over seconds later. Shuddering, he tossed the smelly ones in a nearby hamper, and stood up again, folding every piece of clothing but the uniform, which he slipped on fairly easily.

He found it easier to slip on tops, funny enough, and also noticed how tall he was. While it may not have been equal his own height, this body was still pretty tall. This made him feel more at home, even if he wasn't home.

He sighed.

Karen. He wondered how she was doing. But one glance at the clock told him he couldn't reminisce and wonder. He soon found socks and shoes, and donned them as well. Standing up, Larry looked into the mirror, eyeing his new attire with a smile and hands on his hips. He was ready.

Now about that breakfast…

* * *

 **A/N:** And that's it for Chapter One, folks! I snuck at least three references in there. :3  
I wonder if you can catch them all!  
I hope you enjoyed!


	3. The New Larry

**A/N:** Good evening/morning/night, my readers! now it's time for Chapter Two! I had especial fun writing this. :3

* * *

 **The Unexpected**  
 **Chapter Two: The New "Larry"**

Meanwhile, on the couch, lay Larry, and he was snoozing rather comfortably now, despite his turmoil last night. His girlfriend had woken up before him, saw him there and thus covered him in a blanket before she headed off to her own jobs.

She probably should have stuck around, however, or tried to wake him up. Because an hour later, he was still asleep. And then it turned to two hours.

Three.

He wasn't budging. Even though now his first job was to start at ten, and it was now nine.

And then he overslept. Something wasn't quite right here…

His phone began vibrating on the table, before increasingly growing into ringing. Larry frowned, still asleep, but not for much longer. It rang even louder, and that's when he grunted, reaching for it with a scowl.

He didn't register anything else, not even the blanket, for sleepiness still claimed him, and then he finally grabbed the phone after a few fails and answered the call.

"LARRY, GET DOWN HERE!" a rough voice exploded through the speaker, fully waking him up and almost causing him to drop the phone.

He regained his composure, and sneered then, "Who is this?"

"WHAT?! it's your BOSS! AND YOU'RE LATE!" was the loud answer. Larry rolled his eyes.

"You must be joking. I don't have a boss, and today's a holiday," the rockman stated with a deadpan look.

"IT'S NOT! AND YOU DO! DON'T PLAY THESE GAMES WITH ME!" somehow, the voice got even _angrier_.

And so did Larry, but he took a deep breath, palming his face. But he didn't feel a nose. This didn't register at the moment, and he sighed, before he calmly stated with a subtle growling undertone, "As soon as you stop _yelling_ at and playing games with _me_."

There was silence. The rockman raised an eyebrow, almost thinking the guy hung up and was about to do the same, but instead the voice ensued again, much quieter, "This attitude…"

Larry rolled his eyes, "Yeah, well, you started it. Now, what am I late for?"

"All those jobs must be messing with your head, Larry," it murmured, before it picked up the volume again. "You were supposed to clock in at Lazer Video five minutes ago!"

This caused him to laugh. Not only at the name of the store, but at the fact that he was only late for five minutes. And this stranger called to chew him out for _that_? the sheer absurdity of it all.

"What's so funny?" the voice growled slightly.

"Lazer Video! five minutes!" the rockman nearly doubled over, and then he got up, tossing off the blanket. "What a joke!"

"It isn't a JOKE! it's real, and you better get down here now!"

Larry huffed, walking along and looking around, and mumbled, "Fine. If it'll get you to go away."

"What was that?" eyebrows were furrowing.

The rockman blinked as he noticed something wasn't quite right here. He then shrugged his so-called boss off with an abrupt "I'll be there!" and hung up, and unknown to him this shocked the hell out of the manager.

Sighing, he frowned, sarcastically muttering as he pocketed the phone, "What a nice way to wake up."

And then he finally noticed, eyes widening. That wasn't his voice. The similarity was there, but…

 _Uh, what happened?_ he asked himself, looking around even more. This wasn't his house, but it was quite nice. If he didn't get chewed out and didn't give in he'd lounge about all day here.

He then noticed a mirror in the far corner of the room. Something was off about that mirror, and he intended to find out. So he crept closer, and indeed found out why. With a gasp, he backed away a little.

He wasn't a young man anymore. He was some rock dude now!

Who wore clothes. Work clothes, it seemed. He frowned, picking at one of the pockets and grumbling. At least he didn't have to change. One of the embroidery he managed to catch was "LV".

He shook his head, "How did this happen? why am I in the wrong body? why am I not enjoying my summer holiday?"

It reminded him of the time Steven took control of his own body. But before he could muse more on it more aspects came back to him. Such as the name the "boss guy" kept calling him. Larry. But that wasn't his name. His name was Lars. But he had to admit they were similar. Lars lifted his hands to his eyesight, staring at them, "So this guy's name is Larry…"

He closed one hand, finding it easy to do despite being made of rock. And walking was easy too. Glad he didn't have to deal with balance issues, he eyed the door and, remembering what he had to do now, droopily sauntered over to it, like he had no time to lose.

Breakfast would have to wait, he supposed. _Or.._ a devilish glint twinkled in his eyes and a smirk played on his lips as he looked back into the depths of this house.. _maybe not._

* * *

 **A/N:** Larry's a bad boy now. Except.. it's not Larry. Heheheh.  
I hope you enjoyed!


	4. A Whole New World

**A/N:** Ya know, I was hoping I'd get more reviews for this. That's among the reasons why I waited so long. But, eh, a story has to go on, right? so, after this self-imposed hiatus, it's time for me to roll out Chapter Three, which is the last chapter I have of this for now! enjoy!

* * *

 **The Unexpected**  
 **Chapter Three: A Whole New World**

The young man, having taken care of himself, made his way downstairs, still smiling. But then he started hearing voices. He recognized one of them. Martha. The other one was male. Could that be Dante?

They, sitting at the somewhat small, circular dining table, were whispering amongst themselves, with mixed emotions, it seemed. The lady seemed shocked, but happy. The man was also, but seemed a little concerned as well. The happiness that their son finally seemed to recover started to prevail, however.

Larry, scratching his head, looked around the place. It was fairly simple, but livable and workable. And then he saw the breakfast, on a heat warmer, sitting on the counter. That smile widened, as he went to claim it, but then he heard that voice greet him, "Hello, Lars."

The young man picked up his plate, turning off the device, and smiled over at the guy, "Good afternoon, dad."

His chest twisted. It still felt really weird. Apparently, Dante somewhat felt the same way, but for a different reason. He was happy to see a smile on his kid's face again, but at the same time, was this possible?

He remembered one other time…

"So, I see you've got on your work clothes already?" Martha unknowingly interrupted his thoughts, leaning in a bit closer.

Larry nodded, chuckling, "Yep! don't want any setbacks, ya know!" and made his way to the dining table, sitting down and beginning to eat.

Dante returned the soft laughter, "It's good to see you looking forward to work, Laramie."

Martha caught it, and grimaced, looking towards the young lad for any reproach. Surprisingly, there wasn't any, and he just nodded, gulping down his food, "Oh, why wouldn't I?"

"Well.. you're usually.." his "mom" started, pushing the surprise aside and biting her lip, "lackluster and unambitious…"

Larry stopped eating, and blinked. Apparently, despite the similarities between names and voices, it all seemed to end there; it just wasn't endless like he thought it was. He looked up at them, studying them, recalling one crucial bit of information. He had to be careful here. He wasn't Larry Needlemeyer anymore. Not to them. He cleared his throat, tugging at his collar, before he replied, "Well, I guess I was going through some sort of phase."

 _Lackluster and unambitious? does he not understand that work is important?_ Larry almost sneered, becoming angry at this Lars person once more. He mentally sighed, and soon Martha nodded, letting it go, "Understood, dear."

It was short. But not terse. One look at the clock told him why. He bit his lip, finished eating breakfast, and stood up with the plate, "Well, it was nice talking with you, mom, dad. Thanks for the breakfast!"

"Oh, you can leave the plate here. We'll take care of it," Dante suggested, but not all out of kindness. It was to retain a little more familiarity. Because Lars always left his plate.

"Oh, nonsense," Larry headed over to the sink and placed it in there, running water on it, "it's the least I could do."

The father smiled, but it was off. Martha elbowed him gently. As if to tell him they might as well get used to this. She liked this change already.

If they only knew…

The young man, after he finished rinsing the plate, began heading for the door, raising a hand to wave, "Well, I'll see you, mom and dad!"

"Bye, son!" they both waved as he waved back and closed the door. The young, displaced man stepped away from the house, eyes wide and mouth agape upon seeing what else was in store. The entire world held more of a bright, vivid color than Elmore, whose streets looked entirely real and somewhat dull given the inhabitants. And this new world was _beautiful_.

The sky. The grass. _Everything._

It brought a tear to his eye, and he let it drip off his face. Larry then took a deep breath, rubbing his eye, "Okay, Larry… you can save the sightseeing for later… I need to find where my job is."

And fast. The clock was ticking. Last time he looked at it it was at the very least fifteen minutes to two. He didn't know how much time had passed between then and now. But he knew he didn't want to be late.

He looked around, and spotted a seemingly old bicycle, just leaning against the house. He smiled then. That'd just have to do.

A minute later, he had gotten settled onto the bike, his old motor skills coming back to him. As the saying went, _"Once taught, never forgot."_

And off he went, cycling through the unknown area, and passing civilians as he went. A few of them waved, and he waved back out of politeness. He caught a few sentences before they disappeared from view:

"Was that Lars riding a bike?" from an excited female.

"Yep, and he looked cool doing it. Buck is pleased."

"Well, bicycles are pretty fly anyway," followed by the sound of glow sticks hitting the ground seconds later and cheering from the entire group.

This only broadened his smile, and for a really quick moment he looked down at his shirt. A donut. Half-eaten, anyway. So he had to find a donut shoppe it seemed.

After a few minutes of cycling and waving to passers-by, he spotted a store at the very end of the boardwalk, as the rest of the path seemed to lead to a beach. It had a large donut sitting atop the roof. That just had to be it. He smiled, and pedaled up to it, parking his bike in its spot and getting off.

Instincts told him to grab the keys, and, whistling, he set about unlocking the door, trying the many keys on the hook. Unbeknownst to him, rapid footsteps fell upon the pavement, getting louder with each sound, but slowed down, and eventually stopped entirely.

A plump blonde young lady, a hand to her mouth, was honestly shocked upon seeing Lars there first. Usually, he was late. Or after her. She stood in the lot, biting her lip and catching her breath, and then walked closer just as the young man got the door open.

"Lars?"

He jumped, startled, and turned around, letting the door close. He had no idea who this girl was, but judging by the attire she had to be his coworker. How short and plump she was reminded him of Karen for a second, but he couldn't reminisce. But what he did remember…

The television showed her. And the young man had called her…

"Oh, Sadie, hey!" he greeted her with a smile.

She blinked, and smiled back, but it was confused, "You're not usually here before I am."

"Oh, really?" Larry almost slipped up, but he caught himself just as Sadie raised an eyebrow, "ah, uhm, well, I decided to take a different route today, try something new."

The girl didn't seem convinced, crossing her arms, "Uh-huh… so.. let's get to work, huh?"

He nodded, smiling again, "Yeah! work!"

The young man then entered the store, but Sadie stayed out for a while longer, thinking. _Something isn't right. But.. he's happy.. for once._

She then shrugged, putting on a smile herself, and walked up to the door, which opened after a self-chastising murmur, "Forgot my manners…"

To her, Lars was opening the door for her, and it was strange, but welcome. But to himself, he was just being the friendly, kind person he usually was.

"Thank you," and then she entered. With a few minutes left, they proceeded to ready the place for opening, which Larry tackled with such enthusiasm Sadie could hardly believe it.

Now. All they had to do now, was wait for the customers...

* * *

 **A/N:** Have y'all noticed the word "New" is in every title so far? it's not because I'm lacking creativity, just so ya know. It's a theme. For what, might you ask?  
Well, you'll find out. It's definitely not the obvious. Lol but truth be told, I don't really know where I'm going with the theme itself.  
But enough talk. Please leave a review, preferably lengthy, and I hope you enjoyed! :3


	5. Work, Work, Work

**A/N:** SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT, GUYS. I figured nobody was interested and then I kinda went off doing other things, but I realized that the show must go on and this is a pretty good story imo so far, so-  
Here you are! Chapter Four! please enjoy!

* * *

 **The Unexpected  
** **Chapter Four: Work, Work, Work**

One full breakfast later and Lars was out walking, more like dragging his feet. He was more than a little put off by the environment. It looked so stale and.. _real_ here. Wherever this Larry person was, he was probably having more fun than he was right now. The now rockman sighed into his hand, adjusting the hoodie he put on over his clothes. He didn't know it wasn't proper work etiquette, but he didn't care.

He just wanted this day to be over already.

But, unbeknownst to him, he'd be worked harder than he thought he already was.

After a turn, a blue cat ran into him, knocking him to the ground. He grunted with annoyance, but not pain. There wasn't an apology, or an offer to help, but a "Oh, hi, Larry!"

"Ugh.. watch where you're going, why don't you?" Lars scowled as he helped himself up, brushing himself off and shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Jeez…" the young voice had said, and the former human managed to catch his back as the rather cartoonish cat ran away. Lars scoffed anyhow, only noting the craziness just a little, tiny bit. Cartoons just didn't fit in a place like this. Especially-

And then something else knocked into him, and he wound up face first on the ground. This something else was heavier, and _pink_. The rabbit simply kept moving, exclaiming, "Hi, Larry! bye, Larry!" in that annoying, dopey voice of his.

Lars sat up and rolled his eyes, mocking the phrase. Not one apology. It wasn't like he expected one anyway. He was a jerk, after all. He barely remembered Sadie apologizing to him for feeding him spicy food he couldn't handle. Then again, she probably did. But, nobody knew he was a jerk here, did they? he sighed, and scrambled up and moved out of the way so nothing else could run into him. He even looked behind him, just to see if anybody else was there.

Absolutely no one.

He grinned, before he decided to quicken his step, hurrying to work, not because he was beyond late, but because he was wanting to get off the streets before some other person bumped into him. After jogging a few blocks, Lars was finally at Lazer Video, and he looked up at the store with distaste.

"Ugh, alright," he pushed open the door, and a lavender teddy bear with perpetual angry eyes was waiting on the other side. Those eyebrows seemed curved upwards with an emotion Lars didn't care to decipher. Instead, he asked, a scowl on his face, "Were you the one who woke me up?"

"Yes, I was indeed," Ripley stated, before he growled, "I have half a mind to fire you, but you're one of my most diligent workers."

 _Oh, great,_ _ **diligent**_ _, of all bodies I had to be transferred to, it had to be one who's diligent,_ the former human thought with dismay, before he, having slumped over, replied, "Glad you're not firing me," in the driest, most deadpan tone he could manage.

"Uh-huh," the teddy bear sized him up, before he gestured towards the counter, "your first customers have been waiting."

There, standing at the cash register, were the blue cat and pink rabbit who had so rudely bumped into him. He sighed, narrowing his eyes, as Ripley returned to his office. He then exhaled once more, heading behind the counter and adjusting the hat that managed to stay upon his weirdly shaped head, and weakly asked, "Welcome to Laser Videos, how may I help you?"

He then realized he never read the manual for this job, and started to inwardly panic. He began to wonder if he had this guy's memories, before he turned up jack and Lars shook with worry. Useless job or not, he didn't want to get fired. But at the same time, he reminded himself, he did not care. _I don't care_ , he said to himself, and calmed down.

"You're acting pretty strange, Larry," the small blue cat tilted his head, but it was not out of worry. But out of curiosity. "Something's different about you."

"Yeah, well, people change, whatever," Lars narrowed his eyes at him, "now what will it -"

"Yeah! did you change your bowtie?" the large pink rabbit inquired, interrupting the young man, who scowled even further if that was even possible.

"No, I did not change my bowtie, as far as I know, " he began gritting his teeth, trying to calm down. "Now.. what -"

"OH, DID YOU CHANGE YOUR HAIR?"

 _Now this was getting ridiculous.._ Lars breathed in and out at yet another interruption from the pink rabbit. He patted his head, "I have no hair, stranger."

There was a few seconds of silence, before the pink bunny deflated with an "Oh."

Another well of silence. Nobody talked, so he decided to bring it up again, "Alright, what would you like to -"

"But there's gotta be something you changed!" the small cat insisted, standing on his tippy toes.

"Whatever, kiddo. Stop interrupting me, please," the "please" was tacked on like poison, the scowl deepening further. But Gumball was determined to figure this out, and after a few more insistences, Lars finally blew up, slamming his fist down onto the counter, "ARE YOU GOING TO ORDER SOMETHING OR NOT?!"

This seemed to scare even the manager, if his yelp was of any indication, and Richard and Gumball Watterson watched with shock. The cat eventually spluttered and pointed to the DVD section, "I'll.. just go get it…"

"Thank you for your time…" Lars took a deep breath and sighed, as the cat went off to gather the CD he wanted to buy. "Now, what are your names?"

"Richard!"

"And Gumball Watterson!"

And it was exclaimed like nothing ever happened at all. But Lars was more surprised his slamming the table didn't really hurt. He sighed inwardly, _I have a whole lot more respect for this Larry guy now…_

When they finally left, Ripley came out of hiding, staring up at the rockman with shock, "Well, you've finally gained a backbone, Larry. You're going to need it for those rascals and anything else that might come your way. Now, I need you to do something else before you walk outta here."

"What's that?" Lars seemed calm, staring at the manager with impunity.

"Make me some coffee."

Silence…

"Why don't you go do that yourself?"

* * *

 **A/N:** This chapter is kinda weak, however... but it's better than nothing. It's been a while since I saw the old Lars in action. But I'll just say this right now since it's been a while for you guys too - this is set after _The New Lars_ of SU and _The Pizza_ of TAWOG. So, yeah. :3


	6. A Blessing

**A/N:** Yayayayay, someone finally reviewed! and literally, his or her name is Someone! let's see what they have to say!

/Someone: Hahah, I'm glad you're wrong in this case too! I was going to chalk this one up to a loss but I see people are actually reading and enjoying it, so I decided to continue despite the lack of verbal attention. But I'm so glad you reviewed! you have no idea how happy you made me! :3

Now, enough of that, let's get to this chapter!

* * *

 **The Unexpected  
Chapter Five: A Blessing**

One thing Larry could say about this new body was that he didn't feel tired at all. He felt like a firecracker, pure energy itself, and it suited him for what he did best. That must have been because, well, it was a _new_ body. And it was one who most definitely rested a lot, if what Sadie and his parents had been saying was correct. Sadie had watched as the influx of customers came in, and how Lars was taking care of every single one of them. It was with a smile, something she'd rarely seen on Lars while working.

Something was off. She simply could not shake it. Something was terribly off, and before she could question if Steven took over again, there the boy was walking in a few minutes before closing time, looking a little ragged. But of course, Steven couldn't have taken over. Lars had a newfound knowledge of working he'd never before displayed. Especially at restaurants. Not that Steven didn't have any knowledge. He was the one to calm down the restaurant war after all.

The young half-Gem hummed as he smiled, much like Gumball had done, and despite this, Larry greeted him with a smile, remembering the television show's promo he'd seen prior to this, "Why, hello, Steven! what would you like today?"

Steven's eyes sparkled as he clasped his hands, "You're acting a lot different. I'd never seen you this happy before, Lars! it looks great on you!"

"Oh," he gave a flourish of his hand, as Sadie watched quietly, "why, thank you."

The boy nodded, "I'd like the usual please!" and thankfully pointed at the donut of his choice. Sadie stopped him before he could reach for it.

"I'll get it this time, Lars," she spoke up, reaching for it and bagging it. "Anything else?"

"Hm… Garnet wants to try chocolate," the boy placed a hand upon his chin, smiling softly up at them. Larry could get used to this. Nobody tried to destroy the store. Nobody tried to ruin his day. Things were finally looking up.

This time, the lanky young man reached for the chocolate donut and placed it in the bag as well, still grinning gently, "Will that be all, Steven?"

Sadie had to note that the constant grin was freaking her out. It just didn't look natural on Lars. She made a vow to tell him about that. But it was a shaky vow. She only thought it didn't because she wasn't used to it. So maybe after a few days it'd be okay. Steven nodded, "Yep! thank you!" as he put the money needed on the counter.

"Anytime!" Lars waved to him as Steven hurried back to his home. He then turned to Sadie after putting up the money, sighing and wiping his forehead, and grinned, "So, it's about that time to close up, isn't it?"

"And it's still sunny out too," Sadie glanced out the window. It had to be no later than five in the afternoon. Stores also closed early since it was a holiday, so people tended to get whatever they needed way beforehand. Except Steven, of course. It was nice though. "Maybe we could do something?"

Here was where Larry began to get a little nervous, "Um, what do you mean?"

"Like.. watch classic movies or play games - the usual?" the blonde watched him carefully with those eyes, and he barely noticed the scar below one of them.

"Games..?" all he knew was work after he turned over the Laziest Person in Elmore title to Richard. So he was a bit put off by this, eyebrow raised.

"Are you sure you're okay, Lars?" she walked out from behind the counter with Larry in tow, as she grabbed a mop and began mopping. The young man grabbed a broom and began sweeping, sighing. "You've been acting so strange today."

"I suppose my one-eighty in one night wasn't exactly believable, was it?" Lars frowned for the first time during these hours.

She shook her head, "No one can change that quickly. But," then she shrugged, "I'm not sure."

A part of him wanted so badly to say that she was right but at the same time he didn't want to face the facts. He didn't want to face the consequences. He wanted to face them later, but not while he was having such a good time. Finally getting respect, working without annoyances, it was all such a blessing to him. And he wasn't one to use the word "blessing".

"Well, I did have a good night's sleep," he decided to say, smiling softly as he placed a hand on her shoulder as they met up cleaning the place. "That could change a person's life quickly."

Sadie laughed and leaned into him, which prompted his eyes to widen and a flush to cross his face. Not out of affection, but out of shock. Karen. The blonde then replied, "I guess you're right, Lars."

Larry simply stood there, scratching his head awkwardly and pursing his lips, "Yeah…"

Now _that_ was the Lars she knew. Soon enough, though, he pulled away from her, "Um, well, I'd like to see how it's like. That's all."

"Oh," Sadie seemed disappointed, but nodded all the same, smiling, "alright then."

She then continued to mop, and he continued to sweep, and soon the building was ready to close. Larry sighed inwardly. He hated doing this, but.. no, he wasn't selfish. Still, he was disappointing Sadie. But he had Karen. No matter whose body this was, he was still attached to Elmore, especially his girlfriend. He only hoped Lars, wherever he was, was treating her right.

He soon exited the store, holding the door open for the plump blonde, and locked it afterwards, humming a soft tune to himself. He then turned to Sadie, "Mind if I bake more goods before we start?"

Sadie simply shrugged, and Larry feared he may have messed up their friendship or whatever it was. She took a deep breath, and there was that smile again, "Alright, Lars. You can use my kitchen."

"Woah, we're going to your house?" Sadie shot him a confused look, and he quickly fixed it, "I, uh, I mean, sure! thank you!"

An eyebrow rose, but she walked down the boardwalk, with Larry again following her with his bike, like some lost puppy this time. It felt so warm out, and these work clothes weren't quite so stiff like the ones he wore almost all the time. He just noticed all that. Maybe working his life away wasn't the smart thing to do, but he had no choice but to keep working, because of the Wattersons. All these jobs were keeping the world from spontaneously collapsing. He had no choice.

"Lars? are you okay?"

This broke through his thoughts, and his face felt wet for some reason. He lifted a hand to it, and pulled it away upon feeling a cold moisture. Was he.. crying? quickly, he wiped them away, and nodded, "I'm fine. I was just thinking."

The lady kept staring at him. Worry, concern, maybe even a little anger, were in her eyes. He didn't know much longer he'd be able to keep this from her.

* * *

 **A/N:** And that's that. I hope you all liked this chapter. I will have the next one up over the weekend or next week, depending. I hope you all have a lovely weekend. Oh, and I forgot to tell you. Yesterday was my last day of school so now I'm out for the summer! woooo!


	7. Signs

**A/N:** Aaaaand here's Chapter Six, folks! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

* * *

 **The Unexpected  
Chapter Six: Signs  
**

"I'm serious, something is really wrong with Larry!"

"Since when did you pay much attention to him at all?"

This almost made Gumball skip a beat, for he opened his mouth as he stared at his fish friend and brother, who had his arms crossed, and then spluttered, "That's besides the point! he actually yelled at us."

They were walking to the grocery store, to pick up some necessities that their mom sent them on while Anais watched their father. They had hoped for a little while that she'd be able to do that. Their dad was known to get into serious trouble, much like they did.

"Doesn't he do that sometimes..?" Darwin bit his lip and pursed it like he always did. It was clear he had been starting to regret what they'd done to Larry, but he needed much more of a push.

The blue cat sighed, bowing his head, "He doesn't smile a lot anymore."

"Due to stress."

"He's not enthusiastic."

"Due to stress."

"He's not…" Gumball drifted off, realizing they were right at the grocery store at this point, and that Darwin was just going to keep saying "due to stress" like it was the be-all end-all answer. Gumball didn't think it was just that. Even though with them around Larry Needlemeyer dealt with nothing _but_ stress. "Are you just going to keep saying that whenever I supply a reason?"

"Yes," was the orange fish's simple answer, with his arms still crossed, prompting the blue cat to groan.

"Well, you'll see how serious it is in a few moments," he then pushed open the door, and a hooded Larry was the first person they saw, behind the cubicle, and he was slumped over, hand on his chin and elbow upon the counter. And lo and behold, that scowl was on his face. He didn't even bother to greet them, even as the bell foretold their arrival. He actually looked a lot more threatening than usual, with those dark circles around his eyes too.

Darwin looked surprised for a moment, a fin against his mouth, as Gumball whispered, "See what I mean?"

The fish nodded, and then gestured appropriately, "Yes. Let's just get our things, pay and get out of here."

Gumball, even more surprisingly, agreed. He didn't want to upset Larry any more than he had done, for fear that he may actually get hurt. Not that it ever happened, but judging by his luck most days, he always ended up getting hurt, and why not by the least likeliest candidate?

Lars was looking at the wall, wrapped up in his hoodie and bobbing his head to the beats playing in his nonexistent ears. But he didn't smile, especially when he caught sight of that blue cat from earlier. _This was bad,_ he thought, and then took off his headphones and set them on the counter, keeping a close eye on the door now for their father to come in at any moment. Or _anyone_ for that matter. This town was full of major jerks. _And_ he'd heard that a thief liked to come in here and steal stuff.

 _Wonderful._ _ **Another**_ _Onion._

He groaned, wanting this shift to be over, but then realized that there was really no shift, just until the store closed and then it was onto the next job. He'd figured that out like three jobs in, after thinking that Laser Video was just going to be his last job for today and he'd call it a wrap. But no. This Larry person had to get more jobs than he could handle, and for _what_? why? he didn't understand. With all this thinking, he barely noticed a gun, a newly obtained weapon, was being pointed at him at this instant, and he looked up, raising an eyebrow, sarcastically inputting, "You must be the hash-slinging slasher."

The dude was, essentially, a fingerprint with a really worn and useless mask, and he jerked his weapon at the former human, "Pay up!"

Normally, he would be scared, but he was in this rockman's body. He couldn't be hurt. Plus, this dude looked so ridiculous, it was hard to take him seriously. He inhaled through his unseen nose, "Look, kid, why don't you buzz off?"

This seemed to catch him by surprise. Larry usually cowered in his presence, but now? now he was standing up to him? the thought was absurd. He shook visibly, the weapon lowering just a tad, "I'll buzz off after you give me all the cash!"

"How about no?" Lars replied as calmly as he could be. But inside, anger was brewing. "You're wasting your time."

Unbeknownst to them both, Gumball and Darwin, with only a few items left to go, had come back, hidden behind an aisle, to watch this after hearing the commotion from the back, and while Darwin looked worried, Gumball had this awed expression on his face.

"Shouldn't we call the pol - ?"

"Shhh…" he hushed Darwin quietly.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave before I call the police," he had a hand on the phone behind him now, staring at the guy seriously.

"But.."

"Three…"

He bit his lip, lowering the gun completely. He knew he would never actually pull the trigger. It was just to scare people. Kinda like the spoon he'd once used.

"Two…"

But this guy was not scared at all. It was like Larry was possessed. This couldn't be farther from the truth. Lars was seconds away from calling 911 now, and so Sal Left Thumb booked it out of there, screaming himself, "IT'S A DEMON!"

Lars sighed, and put the phone back on the hook, slumping once more. Darwin and Gumball had faces that could not be expressed. Faces of shock. Perturbance. But they slowly wheeled away from the scene, got what else they came for, and went back to pay, saying as little as possible, even as the scowl got bigger on Larry's face.

And, so, in silence, with that same expression, they left.

* * *

 **A/N:** So, not much to say except review and tell me what you think, and I'll see you in the next chapter! ta ta!


	8. Reflections

**A/N:** Okay, to be really honest, I was sad that I might have to discontinue this due to the lack of attention it was getting. But thanks to Cartoon Conshmiracy, I was enlightened. I shall continue this story regardless of the attention. Because there are some people who are reading it for reals. :3  
So give it up for them! and enjoy!

* * *

 **The Unexpected  
Chapter Seven: Reflections**

After a night of getting used to drinking soda and playing video games, Larry was opened up to new possibilities. He could do this and still be on point for work. He surely didn't get fat like he would usually, but that was after he lost his job and girlfriend and thus had nothing to do. But he found a leeway between. And he was happy about that. He bounced on Sadie's bed, still cowering from the movie they were watching at the moment. It seemed Sadie loved horror movies, and he found that he was too horrified of them to truly enjoy them. The blonde noticed, and stopped the tape with a sigh.

"Um.. what's wrong?" there was that fear once more, and he bit his lip, running a hand through his still newfound hair.

"Sorry, I just need to get used to this, but.. how does your taste change in one night?" the plump lady became exasperated at that point, tossing her hands down onto the bed.

"Um… I don't know.. actually.." it was hard lying, but he had to. He wanted to enjoy this. He didn't want to ruin Sadie.

She bowed her head, "Why do you keep changing on me, Lars? is it me?"

"Oh no no, it's definitely not you!" Larry attempted to salvage this, not knowing that this was how things usually went between the two of them.

"I know the last time it was Steven, but…" she drifted off, lying down on the bed. Larry simply watched, knowing his loyalty was tied with another woman. But the thought that he could do barely anything to comfort her broke his heart. She sighed, and looked up at him with a pained smile, "Well, I guess we'll end this night off here, huh? I need to think about some things…"

 _Well, at least this meant it was still amicable…_ that was always a good thing to hear. Larry offered a comforting smile, "Alright. I'll leave you be then. It was a nice night, Sadie."

She nodded, hugging herself now, and the young man got off the bed and exited the room. Sadie watched him go, tilting her head, before she fixed herself, sitting upright, and began to think.

"Alright, Sadie, think. What's bugging you about him..?" she puffed up her cheeks and exhaled, wracking her brain. Before she found that there was barely anything to knock about him. It was all just her. She began to regret it, and wanted to call him back, but he was probably long gone by now. She groaned, "I ruined it… all because I couldn't stand him being so.. happy for no reason. It wasn't fair to him. Not at all."

Larry was now home, and his parents were nowhere to be found. It was inconvenient, because he wanted someone to talk to at this moment. But he didn't want to wake them, as they most likely were sleeping at this hour. He had no idea how long he stayed up, but knew that he had to get going to sleep as well. So he just talked to himself, quietly, venting about how this world wasn't perfect. But that was just the beauty of it all, wasn't it?

Imperfection made it what it was, and while it wasn't perfect, it was better than Elmore. He decided to leave it on that happy note, with a smile, before he retreated upstairs and into his room, stripping to his undershirt and boxers. He then plopped into bed, and was knocked out cold before he hit the comforting down sheets. He dreamed peacefully, and that peace was felt throughout his entire body.

...but peace was not to last...

* * *

 **A/N:** Haha, that seems to be a trend to end things off with a foreboding sentence, right? well... I dunno. xD  
I hope you all loved this one. Next chapter will come next week!


	9. Glitchy Realization

**A/N:** I JUST REALIZED IT'S BEEN A WEEK! so here! have this chapter!

* * *

 **The Unexpected  
** **Chapter Eight: Glitchy Realization**

Nighttime. It was a time of closure. A time for peace and partying. But Lars was still working. After the grocery store, it was the video game store, and after that came the mattress place. He'd even done some odd jobs, like pest control, and honestly he was ragged by the end of it.

He didn't know how Larry managed to do it without slacking off, and he didn't want to know. He just wanted to quit.

Finally, he was let off at an unholy hour, and made his way home. The big mansion. Lars stared up at it with awe. This was where Larry lived. Where he lay his head every night.

Money sure was something else. But from that happiness was relative. Aside from all the jobs he had to do, it was the Watterson family and everyone else who made his life a living hell that made him want to quit. And he'd snapped at quite a few of them too.

He walked inside, noticing the door was already unlocked for him, and hummed with confusion, unaware that somebody lived with him. Lars locked the door back and was greeted by a weird pink creature who hopped up and kissed him on the cheek. Lars flushed with shock.

 _Oh, Larry has a girl…_ Lars stared down at her, confused. _This is gonna be a problem…_

"How was work, dear?" she began, smiling softly.

"Eh.. rough.." he shrugged, walking past her with his hands in his hoodie pockets.

Karen bit her lip, turning around to face him with a look of confusion on her face.

"Look, I just need some space for a bit.." the rock man admitted, scowling a lot less than he'd been today. Karen nodded, showing she understood, and floated up and kissed him goodnight before she left.

The young man's eyes bulged out nearly. Karen may have been his type, but she wasn't Sadie. He had to think this through. He absolutely _had_ to. Suddenly, a tremor coursed through the area, and glitches appeared briefly, before, as quickly as they came, they disappeared.

Lars noticed this and gasped. He should be asleep. He was tired, after all. Maybe if he slept, these hallucinations would stop and he'd be right as rain tomorrow.

He lay upon the couch again, pulling his blanket across him, when the television cut on all of a sudden without any input. This really freaked Lars out, and he cowered underneath the blanket, but kept an eye on the screen.

The channel was familiar, featuring Steven Universe and his friends, but he was getting ready for bed. His own body. He gasped a little, and turned off the television.

He understood what happened now.

He and this Larry had switched bodies…

"Did you feel that?" Gumball sat in his own bed, eyes wide.

"You've been asking questions all day, Gumball," a small pink rabbit sat on the bed below him, sighing, "and yes, I heard and felt it."

"Something is seriously wrong, Anais," the blue cat frowned, "I'd also been seeing these weird glitches since Darwin and I left the market."

"I hadn't seen anything," Anais rebutted, though it was clear she was concerned, with the way she was fiddling her thumbs.

The orange, walking fish entered the room just then, shuddering. He felt good getting ready for bed, but that tremor just now shook him up both literally and emotionally.

"I've never felt so uncomfortable in my life.." Darwin wrung his fins, sniffling softly as he made his way over to his undersized bowl. The two shot him looks of concern.

"Do you think it's Larry?" Gumball chewed the inside of his lip to try and gain some calm.

"I don't know!" Anais threw up her hands, frowning slightly, "I hadn't exactly been out today!"

"Tomorrow then," the blue cat asserted, nodding as if assuring himself, "I'll show you tomorrow."

"Welp, I was gonna make a bet," the small pink bunny started, clasping both hands, "but it's two against one anyway."

She then curled up in her sheets, yawning. Gumball and Darwin, who climbed up into his bowl, however, didn't seem to be able to get to sleep no matter what they did.

It was morning now. Birds were chirping, and everyone seemed happy, especially since it was a Saturday three people weren't. Lars still had to go to work, and Gumball and Darwin were so tired they couldn't really do much, still lying in bed.

"I'll go by myself," Anais had said.

"Whazzat?" Gumball's tired eyes widened, and he shook his head, with Darwin doing the same.

"No! Larry isn't himself! he could hurt - !"

"And I'm stopping you right there," the pink bunny held up a hand to them, shaking her head too. "I doubt he'll hurt me. Besides, I'm as quiet as a mouse. He won't notice."

"He noticed…" she hissed to herself. Should've known the bell would ring above the store.

Larry, or Lars, had been slacking off before a customer appeared. This time, it was a pink bunny, most likely related to the pink rabbit he'd seen yesterday. At least, it _felt_ like yesterday. He still had his feet propped up on the counter like he owned the place. Ever since word got around that he sent a robber screaming out of dodge people began to respect him a little more. But it still needed work.

Another glitch occurred, but it was barely noticeable anyway, and Anais walked up to the counter, hopped onto it and stared him down. Examining him. Lars furrowed his brow, his dark circles even more exaggerated, "What do _you_ want?"

"Just checking for something…"

"Well, do you _have_ to do it so close?" the rock creature bit his lip, narrowing those eyes, "you're crushing my groove. And I'm not running this place for nothing. You gonna buy something or what?"

"Something really _is_ wrong with you," and with that, Anais hopped off the table and exited the store, leaving Lars confused.

Just then, a huge glitch occurred, shaking the entire area, and Anais felt it and saw it, eyes widening. Gumball and Darwin were right. Now, they had to figure out exactly what to do to save Elmore…

...before it was too late...

* * *

 **A/N:** Seems to be getting to the end of the story, right? well, I'll let you all decide that. I'm having troubles deciding right now. So, yeah, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you next week with the next one!


	10. Best Buds Forever

**A/N:** Same with this one. Heheh, got invested in Trickster Online and Star Allies and Hyrule Warriors. Yep, I finally got the game. So here's Chapter Nine!

* * *

 **The Unexpected  
** **Chapter Nine: Best Buds Forever**

The next day saw Larry overseeing yet another work day, with Sadie by his side once more. This time it was nine till whenever no one wanted donuts for the day, and he had been pretty excited about that, much to Sadie's confusion. She had gotten over last night pretty much, and just focused on the present, waiting and watching. But this still confused her.

Larry even added the extra mile and swept up as every customer left, and always one of their customers was a boy with the name Steven. He was always so nice to him, even though he'd heard that Lars was kind of a jerk. Steven was always so sweet, always so kind, and he was thankful for that. He needed more Stevens in his life.

So, when, after work, he bumped into the young boy along the boardwalk, he couldn't be more elated.

"Oh, hi, Lars!" he greeted with that smile, staring up at him.

"Hey-hey, Steven!" Larry smiled back, looking down at him with a tilt of his head. "How's my pal doing?"

Steven classified him as a friend, so like a friend he was going to act. Just that simple.

"I'm doing great!" he twirled and laughed. He didn't seem to suspect anything. Which was strange for an empath like him.

"That's good," Larry replied, humming softly, "wanna do something? I don't have anything else to do."

"Sure! what do you have in mind?"

Something clicked and told him to watch television, and his eyes widened slightly. He then smiled again, "How about some television?"

"Okay! let's head back to my place! I bought plenty of donuts!" he then turned around and made his way to his home, crossing the sand. Larry followed him, still awed by his surroundings.

"I noticed," Larry chuckled, walking through the beach. Of course, he worked at the donut shoppe.

Very soon Steven entered his home, while the former rock creature stared up at it. It was a temple of some sort, with a home built into it, and it amazed him.

It took a minute, but the plump brunet poked his head out of the door, ushering him on, and Larry blinked and nodded, climbing the stairs rapidly. The television was already on, and a familiar tune played from it. Something Gumball sometimes hummed. That and it sounded similar to the welcome song all of Elmore had sung. His eyes widened.

"How do you feel about The Amazing World of Gumball? it's a pretty funny show." Steven didn't seem to notice his perturbance, smiling like he always did.

"Well, I can't say I'd seen it before.." which was partially true. He hadn't seen it. He'd _lived_ it. So to hear that it was a television show shocked him.

Steven jumped slightly and rushed up the stairs, "THE NEXT EPISODE IS STARTING! come on!"

Larry blinked and trailed after him, noticing just how fast he was. The now teen ran a hand through his hair, sitting on the bed criss-cross applesauce, his eyes fixated upon the screen. And so were Steven's.

It showcased Gumball and his family on their usual antics, but something was heavily different about it all. For one, they seemed tired. And for two, it seemed glitchy. He leaned in, pushing away the thought that he was literally watching his life.

They'd gone to Ripley 2000, one of his many jobs, and there his body was, wearing a _hoodie_ and _headphones_?

The rock creature seemed to be jamming to unheard sound, grinning sleazily. Steven spoke up then, "He's my favorite character so far. But he's been acting odd lately…"

"Has he now?" the teen fought a flattered blush from appearing on his face, and the boy nodded despite the question being rhetorical. Larry returned to the screen, watching still with his hand on his cheek.

"Hey, Larry!" Gumball shouted, but it wasn't to greet him.

"What?" he took off the offending headphones, narrowing his eyes at them. "May I help you?"

"Yes, yes, you can," Anais nodded. "There's something off with you. Slacking off."

"Well, anybody would slack off if they worked for _ungrateful_ jerks!" Larry exclaimed, placing a hand on the counter and bringing his feet down to the floor.

 _What..?_ the teenager breathed in deeply. _Slacking off_.. _I can't believe this…_

" _Ungrateful_?" the taller blue cat began, raising a finger, "now listen here -"

The television suddenly cut off, as Steven turned it off with the remote and turned to Lars, "You okay?"

Larry had to gather his bearings before he answered, rubbing at his temples, "Yeah, I'm alright."

"Hmm.. well, how about Crying Breakfast Friends? maybe that'll cheer you up?"

Larry didn't know if this would help him, the realization was so shattering. He and Lars must have switched bodies. That was the only explanation. When he wished upon that star, it brought him here. But he found himself wondering why when all he wished for was respect.

Well, he certainly got respect. Just not how he thought.

Nonetheless, Larry nodded, running his hands through his hair now, "I'll give it a shot, Steven…"

Grinning, he turned the television on and quickly changed channels to Crying Breakfast Friends, and there they would sit, eating donuts, until the end.

* * *

 **A/N:** Ooooh... heheh, the plot thickens...


	11. Collapse

**A/N:** Give it up for Cartoon Conshmiracy yet again! thank you so much for keeping up with this story. :3  
Now for the moment you've all been waiting for!

* * *

 **The Unexpected  
** **Chapter Ten: Collapse**

The family, including the father, had come to confront Larry about his behavior, and Nicole was furious, despite the fact that he had shooed a thief away. " _Ungrateful_?! now listen here, you bag of rocks - !"

"He's kinda right, Mrs. Mom," Darwin deflated, even more guilty for this, for driving Larry over the edge. Nicole looked down at him, and backed up her statement, biting her lip.

"Darn right I'm right!" Lars stood up, those exhausted eyes boring into them, "this isn't even the worst that could happen! but you guys are definitely the worst that happened to me!"

All this rage was coming to a head. The time they bumped into him without saying sorry, the time they were so stupid and insistent, the times they ragged on him, and the times they were so clingy he couldn't get rid of them!

 _They're worse than Steven!_ Lars scowled and growled, breathing heavily.

"Well!" the pink rabbit, Richard, spoke up, but didn't continue, finding he barely had anything to say. What could he say? but then he found something, "Well, you're a tryhard workaholic!"

"Wow, nice one, dad," the small blue cat remarked, ears perking up. Darwin shook his head, not wanting to deal with this anymore. When Lars blew up.

"Ugh, that was the old Larry! the new Larry does no work! in fact," he reached for his hat and tossed it onto the table, "I _QUIT_!"

The whole family gasped then, going through deja vu. This was the same thing that happened a while ago. And Elmore went haywire.

Just then, the glitches got more frequent and much more erratic, and Lars's face went from anger to worry real quick as he looked around. Tremors coursed through once more, rippling under the floor and across the walls.

"Now look at what you've done!" Nicole raised yet another finger at Larry and jabbed it into his chest, and Lars slapped it away, expression back to anger, until Darwin shrieked.

"No no no! no more of this!" he put his foot down literally. "We drove him to this!"

"Any proof?" Gumball asked of his brother, crossing his arms, and was then punched in the arm. "Ow! what was that for?!"

"Look at yourselves!" Darwin screeched, and then sighed, drooping. "Look at the past! we gotta stop doing this! we apologized so we have to keep at what we apologized for!"

Lars looked down at them, touched a little bit, before he coughed, "I don't belong here."

"Huh?" Richard blinked, ears perked up. In fact, all of them had their ears perked. Even Anais, who'd been silent and analyzing the situation.

"I'm.. not from here."

"What are you talking about?" the small pink rabbit raised an eyebrow, things beginning to click.

Just then, another tremor shook them to the core, and the glitches began coating the store, and Lars gasped, ushering them out. "I'll explain later!"

Very soon, the glitches covered the entire store, and the whole place disappeared. They all gasped, and rushed to the car, Nicole taking the driver side, "Hang on, guys, it's going to be bumpy!"

They shot off, across the street, outrunning the crawling and sprawling glitches, when Lars had an idea and exclaimed, "We're gonna need a television!"

"Are you insane?!" the blue cat turned to him for only a second, before she kept an eye on the road. No need, because she was pretty much bulldozing every car on the road.

"Just trust me on this!"

Nicole took a deep breath and sighed. Darwin, Gumball and Anais had almost lost their color as they looked out. Everything was disappearing or breaking apart, or both, and it was utter chaos.

For now, their house was the only thing untouched, but it was lit up in rainbow colors, booming and vibrating. She pulled up and Lars rushed out first, running to the door and kicking it in upon finding it was locked. The inside didn't look much better, as it was melting in some places and tearing apart at the others, but there, unharmed, was the television...

* * *

 **A/N:** Hahahhaa, aren't I a stinker? left you guys on a cliffhanger. xD


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